Ghoultide Gathering Artist

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Art Doll Quarterly, August 2013, pages 46-49

Prims, Fall issue 2011, pages 22-27

A Primitive Place, Fall 2011, p 14

Prims Magazine, pages 6-9

Celebrate 365, Winter Issue

Monkey-Cats' Work on p. 22

Celebrate 365, Fall Issue 2010

Monkey-Cats' work on p. 21

Monkey-Cats Studio

These are the reason for "Monkey-Cats" Studio receiving the name. Pretty cute when they were kittens but they are now 9 years old, still think they are kittens and try to fit in the same spaces on my studio table. For some reason these two have very long tails like a monkey and received the nickname monkey boys from my husband. We are sure they can swing upside down by those tails! Their real names are Jake and Elwood, after the Blues Brothers, because they try to do the right thing but they are just naughty.

Seasonal Paintings

Trick or Treat Moon Pie

Pumpkin Halloween Parade

Trick or Treat Celestial Charlie

Friday, December 13, 2013

As promised last week I have one more snowman tree topper available. This is the last original I will have for sale in 2013.

"Snow-Fall" is a tree topper (he has a center opening) as well as a piece that can be placed amongst table-top Christmas decorations. He is made of paper mache and wire. His arms are covered with paper mache so they are not able to be moved into different poses. He comes with a bottle brush wreath with a paper mache bow and a paper mache candy cane. These can be placed in a variety of ways in his fingers for different looks, and I even had the candy cane hanging from his nose for a VERY different look.

"Snow-Fall's" scarf, eyes and buttons are three-dimensional and the other elements of his design are hand painted on the paper mache surface.

"Snow-Fall" will come signed, numbered and dated. If immediate payment is received today I am able to ship him tomorrow morning.

I will be posting a new tree topper later today for sale. The first collector wishing to purchase him and emails me after the post will have the last original to come out of my studio for 2013! Hope you "find" him a new home!
Laurie

Friday, December 6, 2013

UPDATE: "Snowball" is sold!!! Thank you!!One new little snowman, "Snowball", has just been completed and is available for sale to the first customer to discover this post and emails me to purchase him at: monkeycatsstudio@charter.net.

Snowball is both a tree topper (he is open at the bottom to slip over the top branch of your tree) and is a fully sculpted figure that stands on his own to be mixed in with your other holiday collectibles.

He is made of paper mache and wire and measures

10.5" x 7.75" x 5.75"

Unlike other toppers, Snowball's arms are stationary as they are covered with paper mache and are rigid.. He comes with a bottle brush wreath with a paper mache bow and a candy cane.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Thank you for a great blog sale to both my old customers and the new ones that gave my work new homes!! I have plenty of wrapping, boxing and shipping to take care of so I can't express my gratitude enough!Off to go get the shipping done and then it is back to the studio for Christmas...did I just say that before Halloween?Laurie

Monday, September 23, 2013

As a child I clearly remember my mother telling me that time passes faster and faster the older one gets. I clearly didn't comprehend what she was saying because summer seemed to drag on forever and some days moved like cold molasses. Well, guess what, mother was a genius and I am no longer able to say that a single day passes slowly. Time moves at warp speed now and suddenly this coming weekend is Ghoultide Gathering in Chelsea, Michigan. Clearly I am getting older as it feels like just a few weeks ago it was only the first of June. Oh dear.

I promised you some previews so here they are....

there are crows......

giggling pumpkin boys....

pumpkins dressed like kitties....

trick or treating squash,....

cats and....

pumpkin boys.....

a waving pumpkin ....

wheeled kitties....

and wheeled crows, just to show you a few of the new works that will be offered to Halloween collectors this weekend.

I wish you could all make the trip and feel the magic created by this wonderful group of artists I feel so fortunate to be included amongst. They always make me want to work harder each year in an attempt to elevate my work to a new level because of their excellence. When I get home I'll be working on new designs because I'm getting older and the next Ghoultide will be before I know it! Mom is a genius.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

UPDATE: Wesley is SOLD...thank you Anne!!! Where is the time going?! I had every intention of getting on my blog to show you works as they were completed for Ghoultide Gathering this past month. (I was either very optimistic or naive, I'm not sure which.) The works are not finished, the photographs are not taken and none of them are signed, tagged or completely ready for a show that is just three weeks away. Panic has truly become a part of my current vocabulary.

With Halloween approaching I have had numerous requests to sell my work, and for that I'm very thankful. This time of year I get so busy putting all of my energy into the show and working with blinders on that I forget that not everyone is able to drive to Michigan to attend such a fun Halloween event as Ghoultide Gathering. I have been thinking about that a lot this week and decided I needed to list a new piece on the PFATT Marketplace update for those collectors unable to attend. I also will be hosting a blog sale here on the evening of October 8th.

This Tuesday, September 10, at 10 a.m. Pacific (noon-Central), PFATT Marketplace will open and I will offer one work for sale, "There's a Spidey On My Bucket!" The first person to email me after the marketplace opens with the price of the piece in the subject line will be the collector I sell the work to.

The
work shows little pumpkin boy, Wesley, slightly alarmed at the fact
that there is a spider hovering over the top of his trick or treat
bucket. Wesley isn't scared of spiders, he just doesn't want any of his Halloween goodies to disappear due to a certain arachnid hanging over his treat bucket.

The poor little spider means no harm , besides, from the looks of his smile he doesn't have a very good dental plan for indulging in sugary sweets.

Wesley stands 13.5" to the top of his stem, is 7.5" wide by 6" deep, which is a little bit bigger piece than some of my other works. He is rich in paper mache surface texture for that vintage look and is the first piece I have offered with the new 3-D eyes I have been working on this summer. They give the characters a little more expression to their faces....don't you think?I hope to hear from you on Tuesday! (It's my birthday so I may be eating cake when the marketplace opens!)

Have a great week! Laurie

Oh, and a special thank you to artist, Lori Rudolph, for my new blog banner. She does such wonderful work! Thank you Lori!

Thursday, August 8, 2013

PFATT Marketplace updates this Saturday, August 10th, at 10 a.m. Pacific time (which is 1 p.m. Eastern). I will have one new work for the month, "Xavier Spidey Squash", a sweet little fellow full of Halloween goodness. Xavier is SOLD...thank you so much!!.

Xavier is extremely fond of spiders and the wonderful webs that they create. His mother taught him that if not for his friend the spider the garden bugs would have wreaked havoc on him as a tiny squash in the garden. He was born with a spider over him and he continues to adore their friendship, patterns and colors.

Xavier has his pet spider, Sebastian, on his web leash and has spider decor on his bow tie and jacket, as well as....

on his mask. Yes, I created the mask so that it lines up with his eyes when placed over his face. Just one of those extra details that makes the piece fun!

The spider designs continue on the back of Xavier's jacket and the back of his mask. Lots of painted details on this little fellow.

Xavier stands 13.25" tall to the top of his stem, is 9" wide to the tip of his mask and is 5" deep. He is made of paper mache, wire and wood and was created without the use of molds. He is hand-painted in acrylic paints and sealed with a matte polymer varnish (even though he appears to have a sheen in the photographs). He will come signed, dated and numbered.

To purchase Xavier, please email me after the Marketplace opens on Saturday. I will sell the work to the first collector to email me with the price of the piece in the subject line. Send the email to monkeycatsstudio@charter.net. Hope you like him!

Saturday, August 3, 2013

A few quick announcements. First, I have an article in the new (August) issue of Art Doll Quarterly. I talk about different paper mache mixes and I have a few figures included so I hope you find the article of interest. Second, I was thrilled to have "Trick or Treat Terence" selected as one of the characters to appear on the 2013 Ghoultide Gathering poster. He is shown on the right side leaning in with his cane. He was very excited when I showed him the image and I had to reattach the buttons on his vest that popped off. (teasing of course!)

Work is continuing on the inventory for the Ghoultide Gathering show. Time is ticking way too quickly! Below is "Hagatha Pumpkin Wicked." She is seated on a small throne chair with two little skulls on each side (sorry her hair got so big they don't show in the photograph) as she was selected Queen of the Pumpkin Parade, my theme for this years pieces. As I continue to complete new works for the show I hope to share more images of them here on the blog.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

The Ghoultide Gathering advertisement in Art Doll Quarterly has just been released for us to share with you. I am so honored to be participating in the show again this year with such talented artists, and was lucky to be included in this years ad! Art Doll Quarterly will be in the newsstands in August. (Several artist friends are scheduled to have articles in the magazine so I'm as anxious as you are to see the new issue.) Ghoultide Gathering is on Saturday, September 28th, in Chelsea, Michigan. Click on Ghoultide Gathering for more details!

Saturday, June 8, 2013

BOTH SOLD....Thank you so much!!! Another month has flown by in the studio and it is once again time for the PFATT Marketplace update. I will have two items available for purchase on June 10th, at 10 a.m. Pacific Time.

After
many requests for cat candy containers last
month I decided to bring back my two crazy cats, Jake and
Elwood, as the subjects for two new cups.

“Party
Jake” is the first candy cup and shows Jake
wearing a polka dot party hat and matching shirt with a
big green bow tie. Jake is
the prankster of our boys so he is once again shown

holding a
little mouse in his hand on the front of this cup with bats
and stars filling the night sky behind him. The top
of the cup is surrounded by a scalloped border and has a spider and
spider web painted on the back of the candy cup.

“Party Elwood” is the second candy cup and
shows Elwood wearing a Halloween party hat with a
tiny painted tinsel trim and a
large polka dot bow tie. Elwoodis the charmer of our boys so he is
shown carrying
a little painted sign to greet you with his “Happy
Halloween” message. The top of the cup is surrounded by a scalloped border and has bats and stars flying in the night sky on the back. Both containers measure 2.25" to the top of the cup (9" to the top of the wire handle) x 2.75"x 2.75" .

The cups are one-of-a-kind originals created from paper mache, and
will not be repeated. They will come signed and numbered.

To
purchase one of the candy cups, please email me after the PFATT Marketplace
opens on Monday, June 10th. I will sell the candy cups to the first collector to email me with
the price of the piece in the subject line. Please send the emails to: monkeycatsstudio@charter.net.

As always, thank you so much for your consideration and support of
my work. I realize I would not be able to create my one-of-a-kind originals and live my creative dream without you!